Teddy stood under the shower head of her bathroom and flinched as hot water hit her face with punishing force. Just yesterday, she had shared a sensuous shower with Leo while he soaped her fevered body and pleasured her beyond her wildest dreams.
Why, why had he turned against her so heartlessly?
A sob rose up from her compressed chest and try as might to stifle her tears, they flowed freely from her eyes joining the rivulets of water that coursed down her face. She slumped against the wall, flinching again as her heated body touched the smooth, cold tile. Another sob followed and suddenly she was weeping inconsolably, bawling like a baby. She hadn’t cried this hard since her mother died many years ago.
The more she tried to compose herself, the harder the tears fell and she couldn’t stop the gut wrenching cries that tore from her broken heart. In a fit of despair, she slid down the wall and sat on the shower floor burying her face in her hands as the water beat down on her head. She stayed there for a long while until the water turned cold and she had to shut it off.
Drawing in shuddering breaths, she reached for a large towel and dried off before stepping out of the shower. She had to leave right away. She had thought she could remain at the Riviera and ignore Leo, giving him time to come to his senses and ask for her forgiveness, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it wasn’t going to happen.
The hard-nosed Spaniard was proud to a fault. He wouldn’t back down on his belief that she’d betrayed the hotel’s future and disobeyed him with what he considered to be a reckless act.
A surge of anger and resentment at Leo followed that revelation. Teddy had always fought against injustice, something she’d learned at her mother’s knee and just because she couldn’t bear losing Leo didn’t mean she should change her convictions. Carmen and Rosa were decent, hardworking women and they had needed her help. Yes, she had put aside Leo's wishes and had risked plenty, but no matter what he thought, she had done the right thing and she wasn't about to apologize for it.
After donning her robe, Teddy blew her nose, dried her tears and marched into the room. Opening all her suitcases, she began to pack, glad she’d diligently kept her closet neat so she didn’t have to deal with a jumble of clothes and accessories.
When she was finished, she got dressed and called Dan to come get her suitcases. Ten minutes later, she entered a cab and left the Riviera, stunned at the sudden realization that nearly ten days ago, she’d arrived with a sense of trepidation and a yearning for something deeper in her life. So much had happened in those days, she felt older and wiser, and emotionally depleted. If there was ever a time she needed her Heart Sisters it was now.
While riding in the cab, Teddy called Ronnie and before she finished telling her everything that had transpired, Ronnie interrupted her. “Say no more, Teddy. I was hoping you would come visit us. Nick and I would love to have you. I'm sorry you've had such a terrible time of it. I can't believe you had to be a waitress and maid in your own hotel. Who does this Leo Guerra think he is? We’ll make a dartboard with his mean culo as the target and take turns throwing darts at it,” she said fiercely.
Teddy chuckled for the first time that day at hearing Ronnie refer to Leo’s butt with a vulgar Spanish term. “Oh, Ronnie, I can always count on you to make me laugh.”
“Seriously though. Please come to Starfish Island. It’s so peaceful here. You can rest and then figure out what you want to do next.”
“You’re so sweet to offer and don’t think I’m not tempted, but Daddy needs me now and I can’t let him down.” Teddy proceeded to tell Ronnie about Lola’s cheating.
“Ugh, what a prize. At least you’ll be rid of The Amoeba,” Ronnie said with a characteristic snort. “OK, I understand that you need to be with your daddy, but remember we’re only a two hour drive away.”
“I know. I’ll come see you as soon as I can get away. It was one of the first things I’d planned to do when I got to Miami, but as I told you, things got out of my control and I wasn’t able to.”
“Tasha misses you too. She was just telling me yesterday that she and Ian are overdue for a trip to the States and I told her she better come to Starfish Island or I’ll disown her.” Ronnie paused. “Hey, maybe the three of us should take a girls only trip to New York before our annual get together at Christmas time. Don’t you agree?”
“I do. I’ve missed you and Tasha terribly. And I only got to see Michi for a short time before she left.”
“How is Michi?” Ronnie asked, her voice laced with concern.
“Still as sweet and genuine as ever, but she has her own set of problems. And she’s pretty fragile now.”
“Yeah, I heard about her break-up with Crispin. What a jerk. Let’s be sure to urge Michi to join us this year.”
“Definitely. I—” Teddy stopped when she heard a baby fussing in the background. “Is that Julia I hear?”
“Yes, you must come and meet her. She is a real handful and she has Nick wrapped around her little finger.”
“Just like her mom,” Teddy said, smiling fondly. “I have to go now, Ronnie. The cab pulled up to Daddy’s house.”
The moment Don Esteban agreed to see him, Leo arranged for a flight to Madrid and flew out the day after his meeting with Randolph. When his plane landed, he went directly to his father’s stately manor aware that he had only agreed to see him because he was at home convalescing from a stroke. Luckily, it hadn’t robbed his speech or mental faculties as he’d been mentally sharp during their phone call. However, he had suffered a partial paralysis on his right side and would need therapy.
As he approached Don Esteban’s bedroom, Leo inhaled a bracing lungful of air and entered the shadowy bedroom with unease. The air was stagnant and he wished he could open the windows to let fresh air in and cast light upon his father’s prone form. He glanced at Pilar, the kind middle-aged nurse, and thanked her.
“I will be just outside if he needs me,” she said. “He isn’t asleep. He just keeps his eyes closed most of the time.”
Leo nodded and approached the bed.
Don Esteban’s lids fluttered. “Who’s there?” he asked after a long pause. Leo wondered if he’d fallen asleep because his eyes had shut again.
“It is Leonardo Guerra,” he said, raising his voice so the old man could hear him clearly.
“Ah.” Don Esteban nodded slowly. “Thank you for coming. If you hadn’t called, I was going to somehow contact you.”
“You were?” All the way over, he’d told himself to contain his resentment enough to hear the ailing man, but it was damned hard to forget the past.
“Yes, I have regretted the past. Immensely,” Don Esteban added. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away like I did.” His murky eyes filled with regret. “It was cruel and selfish, but I was on the brink of enormous success funded by my wife’s money. I couldn’t risk losing everything. I didn’t want to shame her by presenting a son she knew nothing about.” He paused and breathed slowly. “Over the years, I expected you to come back and then I would apologize. But deep inside, I knew you wouldn't. If you're like me, you have excessive pride.”
“I do,” Leo admitted gruffly.
“When I first saw you, I knew you were my son. If there is anything I have learned from this stroke it is that I am not invincible. I'm not going to live forever.”
Leo kept silent as he continued.
“Every day is a gift,” Don Esteban said. “At the end of your days, it will not be your success that brings you comfort. It will be your loved ones. They will love you even after you leave this world.” He opened his eyes and stared at Leo. “How old are you now?”
“Thirty-six.”
“Do you have a wife? Children?”
“No.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“I hadn’t found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.” Until now, Leo added silently, staggered by the realization that the only woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with was Teddy. Beautiful, maddening Teddy, whose capricious ways drove him crazy, but whose heart was huge and wondrous. My God, he was in love with her. The reality nearly sent him to his knees.
“Do you see this medal?” Don Esteban lifted an unsteady finger and pointed to a saint’s medal on his chest.
“Yes.”
“It is of San Judas Tadeo, the patron saint of the impossible. I have worn it since I was a boy.” His ashen face creased with a semblance of a smile. “My wife has often called me impossible. I thought you could use it someday.”
“I could use it now,” Leo said wryly.
“Take it. It is yours.”
Leo hesitated. “Are you sure you want to give it to me? What about your sons? Shouldn’t one of them have it?”
“They have gotten plenty from me. The medal is only a small token. In respect for my wife, I cannot give you my name, but I humbly accept that you are my son. You may call me padre if you wish.”
“Thank you,” Leo said, deeply moved.
“Over the years I followed your success with pride,” Don Esteban admitted. “I respect your drive and perseverance, but don’t let it blind you to what is really important. I don’t want you to make the mistakes I did.”
As he unclasped the gold chain and slid it off of Don Esteban’s neck, Leo noted his father’s labored breathing.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, but know that I am proud of the man you have become on your own,” Don Esteban said.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that,” Leo said honestly. “Thank you. Now I must leave so you can rest. I will remember what you have said to me. Be well, Padre.” Leo tucked the medal and chain in his pocket and enfolded his father’s frail hand in his gently, committing to memory the pressure of his father’s feeble fingers against his palm.
As he left his father’s side, Don Esteban’s words echoed in his mind. Leo’s heart was in anguish because he realized he had callously dismissed the most important person now at the center of his life. Teddy.
He reached the courtyard and whipped out his phone to call her. When she didn't answer, he left a message on her voice mail. Teddy, I need to speak to you. Call me back. I am in Spain and will return tomorrow.
Several weeks went by, but Teddy never responded to Leo’s phone calls or texts. Much to his disappointment and growing frustration, she stubbornly refused to give him the time of day. He was planning an award ceremony that weekend to acknowledge the Riviera employees who had worked hard for the hotel’s re-opening.
Capitalizing on the notoriety of Lionel Jove’s untimely death, his popular show, “Lavish Lifestyles”, would continue with a new host, Brad Grayson. Grayson had spent a week at the Riviera and also at the Corzo Grand Hotel. He had given rave reviews for both. Now they were the two finalists in the running for the Platinum Medal. Leo could hardly believe that they had been given a second chance.
He touched the medal on his chest and realized the impossible had happened. He remembered Don Esteban’s parting words and immediately thought of Teddy again.
At the end of your days, it will not be your success that brings you comfort. It will be your loved ones. They will love you even after you leave this world.
Teddy reflected on how quickly the past weeks had flown by as she sat with Martha in the pool patio of Daddy’s house, brainstorming ideas for the next philanthropic event. She bit into one of the heart-healthy oatmeal cookies Martha had baked for Daddy, who was off playing golf. Because of these two loving people, the weeks following Lionel Jove's death had helped to buffer Teddy’s sadness after Leo’s banishment, and for the first time since Mom died, she had been able to spend quality time with Daddy without The Amoeba interfering.
She had had a lot of time to reflect on what had gone wrong between her and Leo. In hindsight, she wondered if they had jumped into a physical relationship too quickly, not taking the time to get to know one another well enough for a deeper understanding—and acceptance—of their weaknesses. Her driving need to do what was right without deliberation had spiked Leo’s fury. And his propensity to govern Teddy’s actions to keep her safe had driven him to punish her in the worse way possible when she’d disobeyed his orders—he had heartlessly tossed her out of his life.
Her heart ached, remembering his blunt words spoken in the heat of anger. How can I trust you, if you always willfully do whatever you want to do? At the time, filming Jove to help Rosa keep her job had seemed completely natural to Teddy, who couldn’t stand injustice. Leo should have understood that and forgiven her, even if it had been an unwise move on her part.
“Are you coming to our awards ceremony tonight?” Martha said, interrupting Teddy’s musings. “Maria Eugenia has been working all week to plan a fun party, complete with karaoke.” She chuckled. “Boy, that woman loves to sing for an audience.”
Teddy sighed with regret. “I would, but I don’t want to see Leo.” He had been doggedly leaving Teddy messages, but she had refused to answer them. His last message had been an invitation to join the Riviera staff at an award ceremony tonight in the grand ballroom.
“Teddy, sometimes you must bend in the name of love. It goes the same whether you are a man or a woman,” Martha said wisely. “Give Leo a chance, at least hear him out. Maybe he's had a change of heart.”
“I doubt it. The man has no heart.”
Martha laughed. “You know that’s not true.”
“OK, he has a heart, but I won’t listen to a man who says he can’t trust me.”
“Rubbish.”
“No, I mean it. He said he didn't trust me because I always willfully do whatever I want. Did he really think that I wanted to do all the jobs he assigned me to do? I was destined to fail because I had never done that sort of work and I was nervous. It was one humiliating screw-up after another until my self-confidence was destroyed.”
“Honey, all that is in the past, and you triumphed in the end. Your daddy wants you to come to the award ceremony tonight…and so do I,” Martha said patiently. “Do it for us.”
Teddy sighed. “I'll think about it, Martha.” She gave her a warm hug. “Thanks for caring.”